Show Check-outs
First Mates (Summer Show)
Natalie (Co-Director):
“I hope you are all doing well, and my apologies for not making it in person. I'll start my checkout by saying that this process, overall, went extremely well. I am so pleased with how the show turned out and I am thrilled that my last show with Stage Troupe was with such an amazing cast, crew, and creative team.
Obviously, we started the summer with some difficulties, as Orientation did not hold up their end of the bargain and we did not have many students from Orientation attend in June—I believe our grand total was 4 Orientation students out of all of our June audiences combined. Our FYSOP show brought in plenty of first-year students, and we had a decent turnout for Revival, but I wonder if things with Orientation will improve next summer, or if having a summer show that intends to cater to Orientation will be feasible at all.
The only other difficulty we faced this summer was that of promotion. Clearly, Orientation did not help promote our June shows, but I was disappointed with the lack of promotion within Stage Troupe. The producer originally assigned to First Mates had to drop the show for personal reasons—no fault of hers at all—but the producer who replaced her was not in Boston for the majority of the summer. Producing from a different state is very difficult, and I believe more could have been done if we had a Producer who was in the area and able to interact with the production and create adequate promotion for the show. I'm emphasizing this subject mostly because on every single show I've directed in Troupe I have worked with inexperienced producers and, in the end, was forced to create my own promotional materials for each show, or otherwise pick up some portion of the producing responsibilities. At this point, it's a pattern. Being a head producer is a significant amount of responsibility and should be reserved for those with actual producing experience—not because I'm trying to gatekeep, but because it is a vital role that is often under-supported. In addition, there was a lack of Summer Show promotion on the Stage Troupe socials, which could certainly be a side effect of the lack of promotional materials, but it would have been nice to see more effort made.
As for advice for future directors: knowing when your actors need a break is important. This is especially true for longer processes such as summer show, but also for extremely quick turn arounds such as Friends and Family. It's okay to not take yourself too seriously, or for things to not be perfect. This is meant to be fun. Pay attention to the days when your actors seem burnt out—maybe you should let out early, or have a fun run instead of going over blocking a million times. Everything will be okay in the end, so just make sure the process is enjoyable for everyone.
I think those are the most important things I wanted to mention. A big thank you to everyone who worked on First Mates. I am officially out of Troupe (you lucky bastards) but I am excited to see the shows this fall. Best of luck!”
Leela (Co-Director):
liked continuing a show that they worked on
challenge to work with changing casts and crews
affected read-throughs and rehearsals
better to rehearse in theater where performances were gonna be held
communication could have been better
hard with distance issues
Stella (SM):
first time stage managing in-person, learning curve
learned how to do cues
communication was a struggle
scheduling was a hassle
especially in the summer
loved the show!
Hal (TD):
“hey everyone! everything went well and we had a great show! im thankful for all the actors who helped immensely with tech!! i love gay pirates. checked out!”
Evan (Producer):
came onto show after the process had begun
adventure working in Wisconsin!
still pulled it off
taking on different tasks when other CT members need it
more difficult to put up posters digitally in the summer
E-Board Check-ins
Emma:
staffed auditions and callbacks
went to GM 1
sent out many emails to CTs and E-Board
Stella:
staffed auditions, not callbacks
ran deliberations
went really well, according to Steve
groups were chill and everyone was nice about it
sent out big emails about rehearsals
Guin:
went to GM 1
made COMBAT interest form
will send it to Melina
Jack:
went to GM 1
staffed one day of auditions and callbacks
tracking dues with Excel sheet
will match up to cast lists
received AP forms
Melina:
helped with auditions, callbacks, deliberations
went to GM 1
sent two newsletters
updated website and Linktree
posted on Instagram and Twitter
did not show up to tech meeting, but will help Rayna with Techstravaganza stuff
if you need anything posted, email stage@bu.edu!
Rayna:
helped with auditions and deliberations
went to GM 1 and first tech meeting
ATD and ASM interest!
answered WM tech questions
met with TAs about workshops
updated
Steve:
none
Show Check-outs
First Mates (Summer Show)
Natalie (Co-Director):
see email
Leela (Co-Director):
liked continuing a show that they worked on
challenge to work with changing casts and crews
affected read-throughs and rehearsals
better to rehearse in theater where performances were gonna be held
communication could have been better
hard with distance issues
Stella (SM):
first time stage managing in-person, learning curve
learned how to do cues
communication was a struggle
scheduling was a hassle
especially in the summer
loved the show!
Hal (TD):
“hey everyone! everything went well and we had a great show! im thankful for all the actors who helped immensely with tech!! i love gay pirates. checked out!”
Evan (Producer):
came onto show after the process had begun
adventure working in Wisconsin!
still pulled it off
taking on different tasks when other CT members need it
more difficult to put up posters digitally in the summer
Show Check-ins
The Little Mermaid (Family & Friends Weekend Show)
Hadysha Miller (Director):
none
Amy Fryda (Musical Director):
none
Emma Neary (Technical Director):
made a set design!
idea of MCs
looked at costumes
went to tech meeting and talked about tech for the show
Daphne Parker (Producer):
Madison McCormack (Stage Manager):
Mackenzie Hackett (Choreographer):
Fiona Brymer (Choreographer):
A Small Family Business (Fall Mainstage Show)
Director: Gavin Mastella
went to GM 1
auditions – went well except for Thursday
poor planning, etc. affected callbacks
got the cast!
having first read-through later tonight
interest in ASM position
redirect them to tech form
Technical Director: Molly Flanigan
attended to GM 1
talked during tech meeting
talked to 3 prospective ATDs
skimmed script, did thorough read-through over weekend
tentative set design
Assistant Director: Mariam Hydara
auditions went well
exciting for her!
notes did not make sense, need to work on that
callbacks went well and saw what they needed to
satisfied
excited for table read today
Producer: Renata Feinstein
went to GM 1
talked to AP prospect
Stage Manager: Macy Bornstein
went to auditions and callbacks
very new… it was alot
finalized rehearsal schedule for this week, today
Ride the Cyclone (Fall Mainstage Show)
Guin (Director):
went to GM 1
attended auditions and callbacks
Thursday was more complicated
stuck to schedule, rushed a bit near end
deliberations went well
meeting with TD
went to tech meeting
first-read through scheduled for tomorrow night
Claire (TD):
met with Guin before the tech meeting yesterday and went over needs/wants/wishes spreadsheet. Really excited for the journey of this show’s production and looking forward to working with an amazing creative team 💗
Madeleine (Music Director):
Technical Director: Claire Parrell
met with Guin before the tech meeting yesterday and went over needs/wants/wishes spreadsheet
Musical Director: Madeleine Clinch
Assistant Director: Sarah Valger
a lot of unnecessary talking during deliberations
could not hear
Producer: Ian Aquino
went to GM 1
thinking of ideas for producing
listening to soundtrack
Stage Manager: Zoe Larrimer
went to auditions and callbacks
helped with E-Board during callbacks
created calendar with potential conflicts
talked to potential ASMs
Choreographer: Guin Keith
First Mates creative team checkouts:
Hal: hey everyone! everything went well and we had a great show! im thankful for all the actors who helped immensely with tech!! i love gay pirates. checked out!
Division of Power Chat:
how to be on the same page and communicate
document made by Emma, shared to CTs
added guides of the positions
some are outdated
director guide is coming in soon
Rayna said that communication can be talked about with doc with CT
33-33-34 (Producer, TD, Director) should be noted
Steve says defer to TD about safety
Stage Managers :)
room booking should go through SMs
rehearsal schedules should be sent to Stella ASAP
do not use the theater without prior consent
Little Mermaid Casting Change:
cast change – Skylar Sherman dropped
will go to Drowsy chaperone
COMBAT:
Guin made form, will be sent to Melina
double checking facts
decided on theme … “A Blast from the Prehistoric Past” (cavepeople)
sending timesheet for E-Board shifts
writing can occur anywhere!